ONE 169: Anatoly Malikin Makes First World Title Defense Against “Leug Leug” Umar Cain in Atlanta

Two of the best heavyweights on the planet right now are set to clash for ONE gold later this year in the United States.

Three-division world champion Anatoly “Sladki” Malikin will make the first defense of his ONE Heavyweight MMA World Championship when he faces Senegalese monster “Leug Leug” Oumar Cain in the main event of ONE 169: Atlanta on Friday, November 8, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Rise of Anatoly Malikin in ONE Championship

Mullikin has defeated everyone that has stood in his way throughout his professional career, amassing an impressive 13-0 record, with all of his victories coming by way of finish.

He began his journey in the world's largest fighting organization in 2021 with consecutive first-round wins over former world title challengers Alexandre Machado and Amir Aliakbari on his way to the gold medal.

However, with then-champion Arjan “Singh” Bhullar having a contract dispute, “Sladky” was instead paired with Belarusian slugger Kirill Grishenko to compete for the ONE Interim Heavyweight MMA World Championship in February 2022.

He again won the first round, continuing his dominant form and moving forward in pursuit of two-weight world champion glory 10 months later.

On ONE on Prime Video 5, Mullikin stunned the world by ending Reinier de Ridder’s 16-fight winning streak with a flawless first-round knockout to win the ONE Light Heavyweight MMA World Title.

He finally defeated Bhullar in his next promotional outing, and the two will clash for the undisputed heavyweight MMA belt at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023, and although the Indian put up a good fight, “Sladky” knocked him out in the third round to unify the weight classes.

Clash of titans at ONE 169

Mullikin was already one of the most recognizable stars in mixed martial arts at this point, but in March of this year, he made history in the sport by moving down two weight classes to capture the ONE Middleweight MMA World Title from de Ridder in a highly anticipated rematch.

The two met at ONE 166: Qatar, with the Russian powerhouse eliminating his Dutch rival in the third round to become the first mixed martial artist to win titles in three divisions simultaneously.

Mullikin's dominance is undeniable, but he'll certainly have a tough task ahead of him if he returns to the heavyweight division to challenge Cain.

“Leug Leug” has been calling for a shot at gold since beating grappling legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida in five rounds at ONE Fight Night 13 last August.

The Senegalese giant is on a three-fight win streak and has won five of his six bouts in ONE Championship.

His ruthless wrestling style makes him a formidable force for opponents, and fans are sure to be eager to prove they can beat Mullikin when he faces him at ONE 169: Atlanta.